Karrar MBT

Main Battle Tank - Iran

The Karrar (Striker in English) is a Main Battle Tank (MBT) fully developed and designed by the Iranian defense industry. This tank was unveiled for the first time to the public in August 2016. Video footage from Iranian Television "Telewebion" was published on YouTube showing the Karrar main battle during trials in the desert. In March 2017, the Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan has inaugurated the production line of the new home-made Karrar main battle tank at the Bani-Hashem Armor Industrial Complex in Dorud County, Lorestan. According to military experts, the Karrar MBT is based on the chassis of the Soviet-made T-72 but fitted with a new turret. The design of the tank seems to be very similar to the Russian-made T-90MS main battle tank. According to retired Major General Vladimir Bogatyrev, the Karrar is a copy of the Russian-made T-90MS, the most advanced modification of the T-90 family but it uses some features of American M1 Abrams and British Challenger 2. Russian military expert suggested that in terms of certain military capabilities the Karrar is unlikely to match the Russian T-90. In March 2017, the Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan has inaugurate the production line of the new home-made Karrar main battle tank at the Bani-Hashem Armor Industrial Complex in Dorud County, Lorestan. In July 2018, The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had announced a plan to procure almost 800 modern main Karrar battle tanks. In November 2020, the Iranian army has received the latest version of the local-made Karrar MBT (Main Battle Tank). The tank had completed all the final trial tests and is now ready to be delivered.

Karrar MBT variants:

- No variants at this time

Armament

The Karrar MBT Main Battle Tank is fitted with a new welded turret which is armed with a 125 mm smoothbore gun fitted with a fume extractor and a thermal sleeve. The cannon can fire all standard ammunition as the armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS), high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and high-explosive fragmentation (HEF), and anti-tank guided missiles. At the base of the gun barrel is mounted a polygonal metal sleeve which has a series of small openings for air cooling of the barrel. This system could provide better stabilization of the main gun during firing on the move. The turret is equipped with a carousel automatic loader mounted on the turret floor and also on the rear wall of the turret. The second armament of the Karrar includes a remotely-operated weapon station armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun mounted at the rear of the commander hatch. It includes a day/night sight, a thermal imager, and a laser rangefinder. There are two banks of three smoke grenade dischargers on each side on the top of the turret.

Design and protection

The general layout of the Karrar MBT is similar to Russian tanks, divided into three compartments with the driver at the front of the hull, the turret in the center, and the power pack at the rear. In the turret, the gunner sits on the left and the commander on the right. The Karrar is protected with a new armor package with ERA (Explosive Reactive Armour) at the front of the hull and the turret, which gives protection against chemical energy and kinetic energy projectiles. The roof of the turret is protected with additional armor and each side is fitted with spaced composite armor modules. To increase the protection of the tank against RPG (Rocket-Propelled Grenade) threats, the rear part of the turret and the hull are covered by wire cage armor.

Mobility

The Karrar MBT is fitted with a new powerpack to increase speed and mobility in all-terrain conditions. The torsion bar suspension on each side consists of six road wheels with the idler at the front, drive sprocket at the rear and three return rollers supporting the inside of the track only. To increase the operational range of the tank, two 200-liter diesel fuel drums can be added at the rear of the hull.

Accessories

Standard equipment of the Karrar MBT includes an NBC protection system, night vision equipment for all three crew members, an electro-optical fire control system, a laser rangefinder, and a ballistic computer. The crew members have digital control panels and a new battlefield management system to enhance combat effectiveness by integrating digital battle maps, situational awareness, communications, and sensor systems. The Karrar is equipped with a new independent sight for the tank commander. The gunner has a day sight and a thermal imaging fire control system that can be used both day and night. A camera is mounted to the left of the driver’s position. On the top rear of the turret, there is also a meteorological mast including sensors that automatically transmit to the fire control system the data about wind speed and wind direction, air temperature and atmospheric pressure. The font of the hull is fitted with new LED headlights.